Fragonard

            Much of the art in the early 18^th century took on a new style quite different from that of the Baroque Period. From early 18^th century art developed the Rococo style, which incorporated fresh ideals of the time and tended to focus on organic forms, themes of love or eroticism, and mythological scenes or scenes in nature. When studying art from this era, I noticed that much of French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s work follows these characteristics.

            Fragonard was a pupil of François Boucher for a time and developed into one of the most versatile and talented artists of the early 18^th century. Working with many mediums, he created many brilliant works with themes of religion, mythology, genre, and landscape. Originally on a path to be a historie painter, Fragonard turned away from “high art” to concentrate on lesser genres. His oil and canvas painting Diana and Endymion features many of the typical distinctions of Rococo art.

            The story of Diana and Endymion is a popular one in Greek mythology, which is a category that immediately falls under Rococo art. The Gods placed Endymion under eternal sleep in order to preserve his beauty and youth. In this scene, Diana, virgin goddess of the hunt, approaches to kiss the sleeping shepherd. A winged cupid also floats nearby on a cloud. Endymion was visited nightly by his love Diana, and in this way, it is also depicting a scene of love. The painting ties in with nature as well because the scene is occurring outside and has many organic forms and things found in nature. For example, the clouds that Diana seems to be floating on, the bright moon illuminating the setting from behind, and the vibrant plants and earthy foreground.

            The painting is held together with looser brush strokes than traditional styles of the past, giving it a softer texture. This is promoted more so and can almost be felt through the smooth and flowing diagonals in the composition. Pastel like colors are used for the skin tones and a sort of gold can be seen in the sheep in the lower right side of the piece—prominent colors found in art from the early 18^th century.

            The sheep and dog not only add another element of nature and organic form, but also are also symbolic of Endymion’s profession as a shepherd. The moon behind Diana is symbolic also because in other forms of the story, Selena is Endymion’s love, and she is goddess of the moon; or it could double as the moon representing their love itself.

            I was unable to find any function or patronage connected to this work, as there is not much information on it. However, it grabbed my attention with its active subject matter represented through diagonals. The subjects are bright and framed by the darkness around them, and the softness gives it a blurry feel that is comforting, exerting a peaceful sensation.